Book Review: The Rise of David Bowie 1972–1973

November 9, 2015

In 1972, David Bowie released his groundbreaking album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With it landed Bowie’s Stardust alter-ego: A glitter-clad, mascara-eyed, sexually-ambiguous persona who kicked down the boundaries between male and female, straight and gay, fact and fiction into one shifting and sparkling phenomenon of ’70s self-expression. Together, Ziggy the album and Ziggy the stage spectacular propelled the softly spoken Londoner into one of the world’s biggest stars.

A key passenger on this glam trip into the stratosphere was fellow Londoner and photographer Mick Rock. Rock bonded with Bowie artistically and personally, immersed himself in the singer’s inner circle, and, between 1972–1973, worked as Bowie’s official photographer.

This limited and numbered edition brings together the best of Rock’s Bowie portfolio with spectacular stage shots as well as intimate backstage portraits. Pictures for press, album jackets, and stills from promo movies sit alongside around 50 percent previously unseen images, offering unprecedented access to the many facets of Bowie’s personality and his fame. With a hologram cover of different head-shots, the book rejoices in Bowie’s experimentation and unpredictability. Through the aloof and approachable, the playful and serious, the candid and contrived, this tribute bursts with the daring and energy of its unique and flamboyant star who defined, and defied, a generation.

Mick Rock was born in London in 1948 and is known as “The Man who shot the seventies.” As well as David Bowie, he has photographed Lou Reed, Queen, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music and Blondie. He also produced and directed music videos for the classic Bowie songs: “John, I’m Only Dancing”, “The Jean Genie”, “Space Oddity” and “Life On Mars?”. Rock has had major exhibitions in London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.

The authors

Barney Hoskyns was born in London in 1959. He is the editorial director of Rock’s Backpages, the online library of pop writing and journalism, and a former staff writer at the New Musical Express, contributing editor to Vogue, and U.S. correspondent for MOJO. He is the author of the Tom Waits biography Lowside of the Road (2009), and Trampled Under Foot, the oral history of Led Zeppelin (2012).

Michael Bracewell was born in London in 1958 and has written widely on modern and contemporary art and culture. His more recent publications include Richard Hamilton: Late Works, and Damien Hirst: The Complete Psalm Paintings. He has contributed toThe Faber Book of Pop and The Penguin Book of Twentieth-Century Fashion Writing.

“That image really sums up Britain in the early glam-rock era: even Ziggy Stardust has to eat a British Rail lunch!”

— Barney Hoskyns

“David Bowie fans, form an orderly queue… The book, with a cover that’s a playfully kitsch hologram of the singer’s face, follows the narrative of the record and is divided into 11 chapters, reflecting the 11 songs; each chapter captures the spirit of the respective lyrics.”

— Financial Times How To Spend It, London

“For the love of Ziggy Stardust, these vintage photos of Bowie are just sublime.”

— The Huffington Post, New York

“…a masterpiece of artistic design… Ziggy Stardust was a quintessential rock ‘n’ roll moment, and these photographs tell the story of an artist in full flight and in the process of conquering the world. Mick Rock was the right person at the right time to witness all of that.”

— All About Jazz, Skopje

“…the intimate photographs provide an unprecedented look into the period that arguably formed the icon’s persona.”

— Hypebeast.com

“That image really sums up Britain in the early glam-rock era: even Ziggy Stardust has to eat a British Rail lunch!”

— Barney Hoskyns

“David Bowie fans, form an orderly queue… The book, with a cover that’s a playfully kitsch hologram of the singer’s face, follows the narrative of the record and is divided into 11 chapters, reflecting the 11 songs; each chapter captures the spirit of the respective lyrics.”